Five Spirits
by Severus and Raine
Summary: Haha. You peoples are going to kill us after you read this, but go ahead. I think we're doing a rather good job. It's about Aki, right after the movie, when the phantoms return. Read pleeeease... ...it's a Hein/Aki (The very first one too!!!)
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Hein pulled back the lever again, but he did not feel the shudder of electricity under his hand like before, but for some reason it did feel awfully warm for space. Behind him the ship detached, but his gray-green eyes were searching madly for anything that might be wrong, but nothing on the scanners before him registered any cause for this sudden short out of power.  
  
Under his hands, which were clasped onto the bar and the lever, he felt a clunk, making him look back and see the Zeus exploding before his eyes; "Oh."   
  
A moment later the sound of the final explosion filled his ears, he starting coughing from the gas-smelling smoke, forcing himself to his knees. Coughing again, his vision started to go hazy as his mind started to forget about his dangerous situation and passed out from the thick gases filling his lungs.   
  
From outer space, you could see the Zeus, a proud weapon to use against the enemy, explode in a shower of magnificent gold and the shock wave; the only thing left of it were the few parts floating through space, most knocked into the atmosphere, but others floating far away.  
  
The actual fire didn't last longer then three seconds, for the lack of oxygen in space killed it away, leaving nothing behind.   
  
Aki Ross looked down at the lifeless body resting in her arms; Gray. He was gone from her life. The only sound was the cables pulling the platform into the ship. His skin was pale and extremely cold against her fingers, his bright hair dulled. She wanted to see his dark brown eyes again, but fear kept her from touching the eyelid. The memory of his eyes seemed to dull away with his life, unable to see the colors and shades and detail of his eyes, his smile, the touch of his warm skin…  
  
She looked up as the platform reached the ship into the expecting eyes of Dr. Sid; the only other that survived to her knowledge.   
  
He smiled when he saw her, "Well, how'd you do it?" He asked eagerly, coming down the ramp.  
She felt a tear trickle down her face, "We did it… Gray did it…"   
  
Dr. Sid's face contorted to horror when he first saw the lifeless body in her arms, then a look of immense pain. His light blue eyes seemed to glaze with unshed tears, but he kept his gaze strong.   
  
He went over and gripped her shoulder; "He did the right thing, Aki…"   
  
She let out a soft sigh, and suddenly a thought struck her, "And the Zeus cannon?"   
  
"It overloaded." He said gently, "As far as out knowledge goes, General Hein was killed in the explosion. His wife and daughter died at the hands of the phantoms, and his sadness and mourning turned into his deadly obsession; he died because of it."  
  
Aki felt extremely cold, all of the sudden. She realized that he was trying to comfort her by this fact, the fact of his death, but it suddenly made her angry. Though General Hein had nearly cost them their lives and their spirits, she could see exactly what his motives were. They were almost the motives of any other human being. He was too much of a realist to believe in Gaia, so he did the one most logical thing at that moment; attack.   
  
She didn't realize she was glaring at Dr. Sid until he inquired what the matter was, looking puzzled, "Nothing. I was just thinking." She said quickly, drawing in a sharp breath.   
  
Dr. Sid helped her on her feet, and she looked back on Gray's body, a tear trickling down the side of her pale face. She backed away, trying to shove the thoughts of Gray, Neil, Jane, Ryan, Hein… all of them needed to leave her overwhelming conscious.   
  
"Where are we going now?" She asked feebly as she went up to the cockpit with Dr. Sid.   
"The Denver Shelter. The council knows what happened; I sent a message to them not too long ago." He said, setting in the coordinates.   
  
She sighed and leaned back on the cold metal, her thoughts, or lack of, starting to make her edgy. She could barely feel the pain she had felt when he had first dropped, lifeless.   
  
Suddenly she was just numb, as though someone had put a block of ice where her heart should be, but it was so cold it ached. So this is what General Hein felt? She couldn't help but think he had worse, since losing a child was like losing a huge part of yourself.   
  
She felt the ship hum under her as she staggered in, the hatch closing behind her; "I'll be there in a moment." She muttered, walking off into the room which held the dream recorder.   
She turned it on, the screen flickering and finally focusing on her and Gray on the strange alien world. As she looked at him, she felt so cold inside, no emotions going through her mind except shock. That's all she felt.  
  
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A/N: Okay, that is the PROLOGUE! That means there will be more then just this. There is more to come soon, we have chapter 1 done, but it's kinda short. Raine is working on Chapter 2 and we will have it done within a few days.   
  
Chapter 1: The Threat   
  
Chapter 2: Alive ~That title has not been clarified yet, so it may be changed!~   
  
-Severus   
  
Prologue was written solo by Severus   
  
Chapter 1 started by Raine editted by Severus  
  
Disclaimer: The Plot is not ours. We're just grabbing a few characters and stuff. Sid working here out of kindness, Aki is bored, and General Hein working under conditions of unlimited free Movie Rentals from Hollywood Video.   
  
Rated: This chapter is PG. I have no clue what the others will be, but to be safe we'll say PG-13.   
  
God I love writing these -Severus  
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	2. New Threat

Chapter 1  
  
It was nice to be back in a place with a secure barrier around it, for after the run-in with the phantoms in the crater, he was sure that even if they were back to normal he wouldn't want to live anywhere without a shield. After his experience in New York he was very shaken, mentally. After seeing all those people, dead, just because the barrier failed had really gotten to him.   
  
He took a deep sigh, enjoying the feel of the blanket touching his flesh again. It had been over 52 hours that he hadn't gotten any sleep (he had kept careful count), and it was starting to get to him. After all that happened in New York, with the Zeus, the Phantoms, Gaia… It was all too much to just fall asleep to. He knew his dreams were going to be haunted for many months after what happened in the New York Shelter.   
  
But as he closed his eyes, he heard a familiar beep reach his ears, buzzing loudly and obnoxiously. It was the type of alarm that made fear come to you, but it was so quite it was a wonder. Maybe it was for what it stood for; danger.   
Dr. Sid got to his feet and tiredly walked into the main room with the scanners, where the high-pitched and rather irritating warning beep was coming from. He pressed a button on the side of the wall and the sound was disengaged, leaving the blissful silence.  
  
Dr. Sid pressed a pale hand onto the smooth metal surface of the scanners to keep his balance as his body called for sleep, looking down with wide gray-blue eyes. The first thing that caught his eye was the flashing red light, blinking nonstop as it signaled a warning, then his eyes traveled to the scanner, which showed in interior of the crater, which the phantoms long ago had burrowed into for safety.   
  
Now Gaia was turning the dark blood red, as it did when the phantoms infected it. From what he could see there were creatures forming from the core out, crawling the rock walls. For some reason, some of them were the healthy blue, but others, but most where the grotesque red. But… they were not all phantoms. Most of them were the dark red, but about 1 out of every hundred were blue; bad odds.  
  
He furrowed his brows in confusion, "What is going on?" He whispered to the air.   
  
Suddenly, as if time stopped, he was aware of the smells, the coldness, the tiredness, the feel of the metal on his palms, the glow of the computers, the very taste of air. All his senses seemed heightened at the sudden anxiety of another danger to Earth's spirit, but in a moment's time his senses dulled.   
  
He knew this was the same feeling that overcame him when the phantoms had first broken through the New York barriers for unknown reasons. It was the sudden awareness at how slow time seemed to move in the face of fear.  
  
He looked on the scanners, tapping a few of the keys to scan one of the new phantoms; but as he looked a pond it, he felt his blood turn cold. It was a human spirit, glowing the same dark blood red of the phantoms…  
  
"How can this be?" He asked as he scanned another life form; the next was what he assumed was a bear, but it glowed Gaia's light blue, "That's impossible…"  
  
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Theories were running around his mind as he tried to sleep, but none seemed too logical. The scanners weren't doing a lot of help, due to the fact that some were damaged when he crashed back at the entrance to Gaia. He didn't have the internal scanner anymore, but only the one that would track people, but not be able to tell you medical condition or blood type, or anything internal. And it only showed the layout of their body, so you couldn't even identify them.   
  
Normally he would have one of his assistants help him, but as far as he knew they were all dead after the attack, or *accidental invasion* on the New York Shelter. And that had irritated him to no end, for he knew it was impossible for the phantoms to form immunities against the barriers. They had to go around them, and the only way they could have done that was someone powering down a sector, which he didn't doubt; he already had several people in mind that would have done that for use of the Zeus Cannon, but he was very sure they were all dead by now, and that included that dreadful General Hein.   
  
The council had given the access codes as a last resort, maybe because of their own feelings, maybe because it was most logical. None of them had believed in Gaia, to his knowledge. Most had seemed skeptical at the very idea, but who knows. Though the council had started with eight, it now only held six; whoever let the phantoms into the city had made the biggest mistake in man-kind, besides the mistake of firing the Zeus Cannon straight into Gaia without knowledge.   
  
Humans were so naïve sometimes…  
  
After all the work they had put into saving Gaia, the lives of Neil, Jane, Ryan, Gray… it was all for nothing, as they were faced with the another predicament, one that was probably more dreadful then the first. They were just repeating themselves again, but this time it wasn't going to be as easy.   
  
He closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh; after all that difficult work, this is all they were repaid; another dangerous mission, where people would most likely die, maybe even in the same numbers as the last time, or maybe even more. There might be a risk of losing Gaia all together if they didn't get the lost spirit waves in time, thank Gaia he still had three. All of eternity would be made into one hell of angry spirits, with nothing to live by. It would be the same fate of the alien world, maybe even worse, because they couldn't get to another planet and someone help them find a new spirit wave, and even if they did, it would take hundreds of years of suffering just to get there.   
  
The three remaining spirit waves, the phantom, Aki and the oval pack, were as safe as can be, but there was still a matter of the other five spirits he would need to compensate for the ones lost in that dreadful crash that had also damaged the ship, scanners and almost everything else important. Now he would have to send Aki off to go get more, which was unfair after all the hard work she'd done over the last few months.   
  
After the loss of all her good friends, this was the last thing she needed. But maybe it would be easier, with Hein out of the picture and not manipulating the council. He had been the one that had almost cost them their lives. He guessed that he was only acting logically, but… it still didn't help the fact that if it weren't for him, Gray wouldn't have had to sacrifice his life.   
  
Aki also didn't have any help this time after the death of everyone back in New York, which was currently being leveled so they could start rebuilding. Thinking of that, he realized he had to tell the council not to lower the barriers; they would have to know about the new phantoms, or whatever they were.  
  
But without Aki's dreams to guide them, he wasn't sure what he would have to do to defeat this new enemy; he probably wouldn't even know why they were back, ever, without her dreams. He couldn't have her infected by a phantom, for it was too much of a risk.   
  
This was going to be very complicated…  
  
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"Gaia is in need of our help," Was the first thing to come from Dr. Sid's mouth that morning. Dr. Aki Ross had entered the room, dressed in her usual Grey ensemble, when Dr. Sid had informed her of the news.  
  
"Help?" She asked, seating herself in the metal chair next to him and setting her fierce brown gaze on his blue one, "What kind of help do you mean?"  
  
Sid shut his eyes and tapped his fingers against the cold, metal arm of the chair. It only took one glance to tell he was nervous, and obviously very disturbed from the news.   
  
"Aki, I know you're still upset over the loss of Gray," She looked away at the mention of him, "but...you need to see what's happening. Look outside. Gaia, for some strange, unknown reason, is falling apart and…"  
  
Aki fell silent, frowning, searching Sid's wary face for some answers, but when he said nothing more, she got frustrated.  
  
"And what?" She snapped, "What do you mean, it's falling apart?! How can it fall apart!? This is Gaia, Dr. Sid! It's like...the perfect place to live! It's perfect serenity! You explain to me how something so beautiful, so..." she paused, as if to stop tears from coming, "So...perfectly wonderful is in such horrible danger that it needs our help. I thought it was supposed to be..."  
  
Sid held up a single hand to silence her. "Hush, Aki. Relax. I don't know all the answers, so don't ask me. I don't know why Gaia is falling apart and creating new phantoms, but we're going to have to get working if we want to find out why." Dr. Sid rose from his seat, peering over the large control desk in the operations room in which he and Aki sat.   
  
From the main control panel in the Denver Shelter, he could see as far as Gaia would let him, as far as the horizon would let him view.  
  
And if he didn't know there was something very wrong, something so...deadly, Sid himself would have considered this place a safe haven, a perfect place to live. But it was not. Something was terribly wrong; and it was up to him and Aki to find out what it was, and stop it.  
  
Since that horrible night the Phantoms had been destroyed, Aki had been feeling a terrible loss, such as no one had ever felt before. The crater that the piece of the Phantom planet had left had been filled with a beautiful lake, surrounded by beautiful wildflowers and lush grass, such as was the rest of Gaia. All beauty, pure...happiness to anyone that came across it.  
  
Aki stood up and stopped behind Sid, crossing her arms fiercely. "Tell me what you know, and I'll do my best to get rid of it. We fought hard for Gaia, found it, and I don't want to lose it when we've barely come to know it as our home. Now, Dr. Sid, tell me, please. What can I do?"  
  
Sid sighed deeply, and placed his gentle, worn hands on the control panel. "Aki, I know you're anxious, but...we must do more research," he said calmly.  
Aki was furious. "No! Dr. Sid! Tell me what you know! I don't CARE if you need to do more research! By then it might be too late!" she cried. "This is Gaia! Our...safe haven! We can't sit back and watch it be devoured by something we don't even know! Tell me, what can I do?!"   
  
Sid sighed once more, shaking his head sadly, "Aki...it appears we're going to need to find five new spirit waves," he explained slowly, opening his dulling blue eyes and gazing at the metal floor beneath his feet.   
  
Aki suddenly went very pale, "What? More waves?" she asked, her voice down to a low unbelieving whisper.   
  
He nodded, "Yes. And it will take awhile to find them in a place this big. You must understand that in the crash, after the projection of the waves we lost five of them because of the damage on the ship. The only ones we have remaining are the one from you, one from the pack, since we still have that and the one from the Phantom, one because you always will have the wave, being you and the phantom wave went straight into you chest plates. If you seriously want to help, then I suggest you take the Transporter out and the scanner, and search for a wave. Anything the scanner will pick up."  
  
"How will it know?" Aki asked, glancing at her hands as Sid handed her the tiny metal device.  
  
Dr. Sid gestured to the device with his eyes; "I've programmed it to recognize helpful specimens. It recognizes Gaia is in need of help, so it will guide you. Trust in this device, it won't let you down. It never has."  
  
Aki nodded, and left the room. Whatever this thing was that was destroying her home, her new found home, she had to find it-and destroy it.  
  
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Chapter 1 by Raine editted by Severus  
  
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	3. Strange star

Chapter 2  
  
Aki's scanner beeped furiously as she scaled the newest hill, making Aki give a frustrated sigh.  
  
"Why do you keep beeping at me like this?" She asked her device angrily, glancing at it from where it sat, strapped to her delicate wrist. The little red light was blinking madly as if she we're standing right on top of the spirit, but under her feet was nothing but gravel.   
  
Every few minutes it would beep madly, as if she was right over a life form. However, when she moved closer to the direction it pointed to, the beeping would instantly halt.  
  
Aki was losing her patience with the device she was supposed to trust. She'd been scanning the area for nearly five hours now, and it was beginning to get dark. With a tiny smile, she was kind of glad it was getting dark. That would mean the stars would be coming out.  
  
No matter what, she always felt happy looking at the stars. They reminded her of Gray, the way they twinkled so carefree like Gray's eyes used to...Aki shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to find at least one more life form before returning to Sid in the shelter. Remember, hard work was all they needed to fight these new phantoms. The phantoms were still traveling across the USA, but they hadn't made it quite this far yet.  
  
She'd already discovered another plant, which was difficult to find had Aki not brought her binoculars with her. The plant had been growing on the side of a rocky cliff, and Aki had almost brought her life to an end as she attempted to retrieve it, but somehow was able to maintain her balance over the small rocky ledge.  
  
Finally, it was time to start heading back. The stars had already begun to show themselves, and Aki already felt at peace here, under the bare sky with no barrier and no phantoms to haunt her; at least, not yet. Sid had already contacted the council and they would be going to another hearing in a few days. The barriers were still up and running for the time being.  
  
Gazing at the stars as the Transporter took her back to the Denver shelter on autopilot, she noticed a new star. One that hadn't been there before. When she was a child, she had practically memorized the solar systems and the constellations that lit the night skies.   
  
At almost the same time she'd noticed it, the scanner started acting up again. Perhaps it was this star that was the life form? No, it couldn't be. It was practically impossible. There was no way there was a life form all the way out in space on a star, no less.  
  
However, it wasn't an ordinary star, with a strange aura around it, its color different from the rest. Aki decided to ask Sid about it, he'd know what it was.  
  
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Sid lifted his eyes from the telescope. "That's definitely not a star, Aki. Good work," Sid replied quietly. Night had fallen, and now this 'star' shone even brighter, but it was a bright fluorescent green, not the normal yellow color of a star.   
  
"We need 4 more waves, and this could possibly be one of them," Dr. Sid concluded.   
This statement caught Aki's attention and she narrowed her eyes. "A life form...all the way in space?!" she asked. Dr. Sid closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment as he thought of an accurate response to tell her.  
  
"It could very well be. Aki, I'm thinking that maybe it's something from the Zeus Cannon."   
  
Aki didn't even bother to hide the shock the registered on her face, "The Zeus Cannon?! Dr. Sid, you know as well as I do that it blew up, and everyone died along with it! Tell me how there can be a life form out there!" She cried. Dr. Sid opened his eyes and glanced at her momentarily. He smiled lightly at her over-exaggerated expression.  
  
"Aki...listen. I'm just saying. The scanner has never let us down before, we should trust it. I trust you will want to go check it out?" he asked, placing his hands behind his back.  
Aki sighed, admitting defeat. "I suppose so, it will be nice to see what Gaia looks like from space. And... Well, if the scanner IS telling the truth, then there is another chance to find another spirit."  
  
Dr. Sid smiled. "Wonderful. I'll have some of the others prepare a ship for you. You'll leave tomorrow morning."  
  
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The first thing Aki did was go directly to the Dream Recorder. Turning it on, she watched the recording of her and Gray. She reached out a cautious hand to touch the screen that Gray was looking around on. "Gray? Guess what.... Dr. Sid thinks there might be a spirit out in space. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. It might be the Zeus Cannon...." she trailed off. Tears filled her eyes. She could never again hear Gray's voice, telling her how stubborn she was, and that was how much she needed him.   
  
Even a cruel word or two would have helped ease the pain of her loss.   
  
"Gray...I miss you," she whispered, as a lone tear fell, she turned off the recording, leaving Gray's face firmly implanted in her memory.  
  
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Chapter 2 by Raine editted by Severus aaaagain  
  
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	4. Zeus Cannon

Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Aki and Sid walked into the bay to meet a small engineer with a mop of brown hair and lively powdery blue eyes; "Hello Dr. Ross, Dr. Sid." He said with a small nod.   
  
Aki smiled politely, "So, exactly what ship am I using?" Aki asked instantly, looking around the bay. Her eyes fell on the familiar ship sitting in the corner.  
  
"Your own." He said, "It's a bit slow and the scanners are still a bit touchy but you'll manage to get wherever you need to go, Dr."   
  
"Thank you," Dr. Sid nodded.   
  
"No problem. When you bring it back we'll fix it up again. Just needs a few things adjusted after your heroic efforts in the crater."   
  
Aki smiled slightly; she forgot that everyone was informed of that, but no one knew about the new threat except the council and a few generals, majors, and so on. When she made it back she was greeted and thanked by quite a lot of people, which made her feel better that she knew she made an affect in someone's life at least.  
  
Aki walked into her ship and sighed at the familiar surroundings of her ship; Gray had been standing there, telling her how insane she was just a few days before. She sat down at the cockpit, preparing for the pre flight countdown; she had two minutes before the ship took off.   
  
Behind her, the hatch slid closed with a hiss. She sat down in the chair and waited for the ship to take off. A moment later the engines shuddered and started up, rattling her bones a little before the humming died down a little.   
  
The ship slowly hovered through the bay and blasted off into space, leaving the orange barrier behind her. To the side, a small time calculator clicked on, and she gave a moan; it read 1 hour 25 minutes 58 seconds; that's how long it was going to take just to get there.   
The familiar warmth of passing through the atmosphere reached her, then the sudden coldness of space and weightlessness overcame her. Though the thrusters took her through the atmosphere fast enough, it was now going slow of it's remaining engine, trudging through the blackness of space.   
  
"I'm in space now, Sid." She said into the transmitter.   
  
"Very good Aki. I just hope there's enough air inside the piece of the Zeus Cannon to last whomever happens to be dwelling there. Good luck Aki." The voice faded into static, and she clicked off her ear piece.   
  
She unbuckled herself from the chair and floated through the cabin, looking at all the small panels and buttons on the wall; everything was running fine. This was going to take just about forever.  
  
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Aki floated through the cabin of the ship, trying to kill time it would take to arrive to the broken part of the canon. She still needed a few minutes before she would finally reach it, and she had already been there an hour and a half. Her ship was partially damaged so it wasn't quite as fast as it used to be, given that one of the engines was turned off because of repairs.  
  
As she got closer, she could see the cannon clearly; a very, very large chunk was still left, burnt and half of it was glowing green because of the generator radiation was still glowing inside the long tubes of energy. She could tell the door had cut off at the hatches,   
for as she approached her wristwatch started beeping again, telling her that the life form was alive and well, as far as she could tell. The ship's scanners were still a little haywire, but it only needed a few adjustments.   
  
She felt a loud clunk as the ship connected with the broken hatch of the Zeus Cannon.   
  
She sighed and floated until she came to the hatch. After she was sure the scanners were telling the truth, that the air was breathable, she pressed the button that should have opened the hatch; nothing. It was frozen, literally.   
  
She turned until her feet were pressing against the iced door, and grabbed the edge of the opened hatch that was on her side of the ship. She slammed both feet into the door at the same time and it broke into small pieces like ice.   
  
Cold air hit her like a brick wall, filled with the smell of smoke and gases; one spark and she would be done for. She floated through the tube and looked around the first section of the broken piece of the Zeus Cannon. So far it was vacant, but on the far side of the room was another hatch, which she hoped was working, since it hadn't been in direct contact with the freezing coldness of space.   
  
The walls around her were covered in ice and frost, and blackened slightly by fires, but she guessed they had gone out when this side of the ships fire systems activated. She floated forward to the next hatch, grabbing the handrail used to pull herself along.   
  
She came to the next hatch and pressed a hand against the pad; it was also frozen. Using the same method she kicked it opened, and was hit by another wave of cold and more smoke. After it cleared, she looked forward into the room. She first noted it was the core of the reactor, but as her eyes traveled she saw another form.   
  
The man was passed out, floating, but not moving, a few inches off the floor on the platform that had taken him to the controls. His black leather trench coat was in tatters, he was facing away and his dark black hair was disheveled.   
She floated over and landed softly on her feet. She kneeled down and turned the form over, and gasped.   
  
It was General Hein.   
  
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Severus: WHOO HOO! Another chapter up! Actually, I just finished chapter 10 but you peeps have to wait. :p   
  
Thank you LadyKayoss! You are awesome! And yes, your speculation was quite correct. We did this because we decided general Hein needs at least some little happiness of some sort and Aki had just lost Gray so, you know, a nice little Raine/Sevy fixer upper. :D Anyway, thanks! 


	5. Dealing with him...

Chapter 4  
  
Aki was frozen on the spot, leaning over the unconscious General. Her first thought was he is going to mess everything up again. She couldn't help but smile at the irony; the most tenacious and disbelieving General was the second spirit.   
She wasn't quite sure if she should wake him or just pull him back into the ship, but from the looks of it he was very badly burnt and he needed a new trench coat. Blood slipped from his hands and neck, but his head was obviously protected by his arms, so there was no damage to his face.   
  
Before she could decide to wake him up or just take him back to the ship, his gray-green eyes fluttered opened. At first he looked confused, but it quickly turned into the glare she knew all too well.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice sounding just as strong and angry as it usually did when he addressed her.   
  
"I'm here to save your life." She snapped, not in the mood to take any bashing at the moment, "So get up."   
  
With a slight glare, he complied, but even he couldn't hide the pain that flickered in his eyes when he moved his arms. She could now tell that his leather sleeves were partially melted and sticking to his skin, what she imagined was rather painful.  
  
"Anything hurt? I could imagine quite a few burns on you." Her tone was almost mocking as she spun around and floated through the hatch, General Hein grudgingly following.   
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact my arms are badly burnt." He glared towards the wall, "Such motherly concern." He snapped sarcastically.  
  
Aki floated into her ship, then after General Hein came in she closed the hatch and locked it, "Typical." She muttered to herself.  
  
General Hein decided not to ask, for whenever he did they ended up in an argument, and unfortunately, she usually won.   
  
"Council gathering in Houston later this evening. They don't know you're alive and we have to address the new threat." Aki sat down at the cockpit.   
  
"What threat?"   
  
"The Gaia is creating new phantoms. I don't know why; I thought we had finally defeated them. Apparently not."   
  
He snorted, "The Gaia. You still believe in such things?"  
  
"It's been proven, no thanks to you." She said absently, setting the autopilot for Houston.   
  
General Hein didn't hide his surprise, "What is that supposed to mean?" He growled.  
  
"Well, it basically means that the job would have been done a lot quicker if you hadn't fired into the Gaia. If it weren't for that, then Gray wouldn't have had to die. It became more complex after you fired straight into Gaia." She gave him a withering look before looked back at the controls.   
  
General Hein sat down in the chair next to her, smirking as she gave an exasperated sigh; she was probably expecting him to leave the room, "Gray? You mean Captain Gray Edwards? He was with you?"   
  
"Yes. And we had to put the spirit wave into Gaia, through him."   
  
"So are you going to tell me exactly what happened or are you just going to keep making me confused?" He put on an annoying smirk, but inside he knew he was just trying to make it look like he was okay.  
  
She leaned back slightly, "After you told cut me off on the transmission, we were on the ground. I passed out and found the spirit wave in my dreams, and Gray and I used the spirit wave through the shield. At first it did work, but then you fired again, directly into Gaia. That destroyed it, but since I still had the spirit wave there was still hope. The ship was destroyed, so Gray put me on the edge of the cliff. He held my hand them lifted his other when the phantom Gaia hit him. That put the spirit wave into their Gaia."   
  
General Hein frowned slightly, "Sorry."   
  
Aki looked up in surprise, but he finished his sentence, "-About Captain Edwards."  
  
Of course he wouldn't apologize for his actions, she thought bitterly.  
  
"I doubt it." She muttered sadly.   
  
"No, really, I am." He said with a cocky smirk, but it quickly turned into a grimace, "I would not mind getting this coat off, Dr."   
  
Aki sighed and stood up, going towards the medical table and going through the cabinets, while General Hein watched amusedly. She pulled out a small scalpel and slowly started cutting up the sleeves of his jacket, but leaving the torn long sleeved shirt underneath alone.   
  
"This is going to hurt." She warned, about to pulled it off.   
  
"Is that concern I - OW!"   
  
A loud ripping sound rang as she quickly yanked off the melted leather cloak, but she didn't look amused. She put the torn leather jacket into a disposal bin and closed it, then set the scalpel back in its secure hold in the case.  
  
General Hein slowly pulled off the melted leather gloves and sighed slightly as he looked at his slightly bleeding hands. He quickly grabbed a towel he found in the cabinet and tenderly wiped off the crimson red liquid.   
  
He watched as she went back to the cockpit, so he quickly went to the small bedroom with the dream recorder and sat down. He could still feel the gun strapped to his hip. The images of the Zeus Cannon, the millions of people he looked down a pond as they died in the city, unable to move his eyes. He blamed the phantoms, trying to cover up his own stupid murders.   
He cocked the gun, pressing it to his temple slowly. He closed his eyes, and inside he could almost convince himself he was back in his own ship, after the barrier failed; almost, but something in him made him constantly remember what he had done in the Zeus Cannon, again costing more lives, but one stood out in particular.   
  
Looking down at Major Elliot as the life slowly drained out of him, the blood soaking the front of his dull gray uniform. The pure gray eyes looking to him for help, gasping as the phantom particles slowly dug further into his body, painfully slow.  
  
That memory made his finger tighten on the trigger, but not quite enough to fire. He felt his body tense, and he could feel his hand shaking.   
  
Do it!   
  
NOW!   
  
His fingers remained motionless, but his body tensed more. He felt his hand start to shake too much to pull the trigger, and before he knew what he was doing, he put the gun back in it's holster.   
  
"Coward." He muttered to himself.   
  
He didn't notice the pair of dark brown eyes peaking around the corner of the opened door, but they quickly disappeared before he had a chance.   
  
-----------  
  
"Dr. Sid, I have the… life form."   
  
The Dr. Sid on the screen before her smiled, "Who is he?"   
  
Aki decided she was going to treasure this moment, the look on his face, "General Hein."   
  
Dr. Sid's powdery blue eyes went wider then she thought possible, "General Hein s-survived?"  
  
Aki was about to talk when a voice came from behind her, "Yes, I survived, my good Doctor." He gave a wicked grin as Dr. Sid looked up at him in surprise, "But that probably not exactly what you wished happened. You probably wish I was floating around the Earth with the rest of the Zeus Cannon."   
  
"I would be lying if I said I didn't." Dr. Sid muttered, then turned his attention back to Aki, "Aki, bring him back here as soon as you can to extract the fourth spirit."   
  
"Alright, Sid." She switched off the transmission.  
  
"What does he mean 'the fourth spirit'?" General Hein asked, using the chair to pull himself to the ground.   
  
Aki smiled, "With the new phantoms, we had to recover the spirits we lost. Ironic, isn't it?"   
  
General Hein nodded grudgingly, "So, when are we going to be in Houston? And why is this ship so slow?"  
  
Aki was about to talk, but he interrupted her, "Let me guess; my fault?"   
  
She nodded, "And we'll be entering the atmosphere in about one minute." Suddenly the ship started to shake as it hit the outer atmosphere, "Or one second."  
  
-----------  
  
A/N: Yay! Another chapter up. I'm doing chapter 12 at this very moment. hehe... just wait until you get there, guys. *Snicker*   
  
By Severus editted by Raine, of course.   
  
Disclaimer: I'M JUST PLAYING WITH THESE CHARACTERS! DON'T WORRY! General Hein said he's aloud to be brought back to life if he gets free ice cream and a king size double mattress bed. :D   
  
-----------  
  
  
  
  



	6. The Council

Chapter 5  
  
General Hein, Aki and Dr. Sid stood in the newly built Council's chamber, the remaining six council members sitting at the metal benches. So far Aki could not point out any difference from this council chamber to the one in New York, besides the fact that the ceiling was higher and there was another row added behind them for the majors and Captain's of Houston.   
  
"First I must say I am happy to see that General David Hein survived the explosion of the Zeus cannon, which unfortunately had no effect on the phantoms." Councilman Drake said, voice echoing through the chamber, "We are now here to discuss the new phantoms, which I am told are both from our world at theirs. Dr. Ross, please elaborate."  
  
"Members of the council, I am here to tell you the threat now posed in our own Gaia." Aki started, "The Spirit wave was a success, but something much have contaminated the Gaia once again. In the Zeus Cannon's attack, we lost five of the eight spirits, so we will have to find them again to heal Gaia. So far I have two more, but the next three will probably not be as easy to find. It was luck that I managed to stumbled on the first two.  
  
"The Gaia is producing more phantoms then before, but one out of every hundred is Gaia's natural blue, which probably suggests that it is the opposite of the red." Aki paused, since she usually expected General Hein to contradict her, but he just sat silently in his chair, looking rather bored and rather depressed, almost like he lost his usual confidence, "We would like to do this ourselves, but the phantoms are spreading so we will need protection."   
  
Councilwoman Hee nodded in approval, "That sounds fair. The Deep Eyes Squad of Houston would be more then helpful trying to find the spirits out of the barriers. And speaking of the barriers, we are still not sure if the phantoms are immune or if they are not. They did get through the New York Barrier, so what prevents them from coming here?"   
  
Aki sighed, "I am not sure what to say to this. Them forming such a fast immunity to the barrier was a shock. I wouldn't have foreseen that happening myself; no one would have."   
  
General Hein stayed silent, but he desperately wanted to tell them the trust and get it over with. He knew he would be discharged and possibly imprisoned for first-degree manslaughter if he did, or maybe even second-degree murder, depending on how much he told them. He knew people were going to die from his actions, enough to alert the council, but not millions.  
  
"General Hein, do you have any input?" Councilwoman Hee asked, almost sensing his discomfort; she was very perceptive, and that was probably why General Hein hated her the most.   
  
"No." He said quietly, and all the council looked at him, disbelieving, but General Hein couldn't blame then; there was never a session where he would just be quiet and out of attention.   
  
"So you don't know anything about how the phantoms got through the barrier?" Councilwomen Hee inquired her gaze kind but somehow disturbing.   
  
"No." This time his voice was more strained, and he felt his body tense.  
  
Councilman Drake looked back at Dr. Sid, "Do you have any theories, doctor?"   
  
Dr. Sid stood, shaking his head, "I find it very hard to believe the phantoms could form an immunity, since they're ghosts. Only living things form immunities."   
  
"Thank you, Dr. Sid." Hee said, "when will have another session tomorrow at 9:00 PM after we overlook the evidence regarding the phantoms."  
  
---------  
  
Aki was waiting in the small, emptied hallway when General Hein spotted her.   
  
"Well, that's the first time you haven't insulted me in front of the council." She said, walking in stride next to him, "Why didn't you talk?"  
  
"I had nothing to say." General Hein replied dully.   
  
Aki tilted her head, "There's a first for everything."   
  
"I feel they don't have respect for me after the Zeus Cannon incident, and I fear that if I did talk I might let something slip about the barrier." Like is just did now, he added silently, but he wasn't sure if he said it on purpose or not; he didn't have time to ponder it.   
  
"What? You know how they got in to the city?" Aki asked, eyes wide.   
  
He chuckled slightly, "Unfortunately, yes I do."   
  
"Well?" She asked after a moment of silence, "What happened?"   
  
"I let them in." He said truthfully.   
  
"You WHAT?!" She asked, grabbed his shoulder and slamming him back first into the wall; he made no attempt to stop her.  
  
He sighed, "I just told you, I let-"  
  
"I know what you said, but why?"   
  
"Why do you think? Because I was angry with the council. I wanted them to use the Zeus Cannon, so I made it look like the phantoms were more of a threat."   
  
"So you just let them kill everyone?" Aki growled, glaring into his eyes.   
  
"No, I had them in a contained space. I was going to kill them, but they got into the pipes."  
  
"What pipes?"   
  
"The bio-ertheric energy flow." He said, breaking eye contact, "I was there, above the pipes, watching them float in and take the life out of the men I knew and worked with. My friend, Major Tobias Elliot, got hit in the chest. I watched him die." He looked back stonily into her eyes, "So don't think that I didn't suffer for that. When I made it to the escape pod, it was high above all the other buildings. For about a half an hour I just stood there and watched everyone below die, because of me."  
  
Aki's grasp weakened, and she stepped back, "And you aren't going to tell the council?"  
  
"Do you think I'm insane?" He snapped angrily, "They would have me stripped of rank and thrown in jail for murder. I'm not going to tell them."  
  
"You should get it over with before you're accused of lying and have to face bigger consequences…"   
  
-----------  
  
By Severus and Raine, of course  
  
Disclaimer: YES, I will not harm these characters. I mean, I already brought one back from the freaking dead.... jeez.  
  
Thanks for the reveiws! General Hein would say Hi but he's kind of obsessed with his ice cream right now.   
  
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	7. Haha. General Hein, the Chicken Wuss

Chapter 6  
  
Alone in his room, the ceiling appealed to him as he stared at it.   
It was kind of funny, in a away, because the longer he stared at it, the more it appealed to him. With a smug smile on his face, David Hein shook his head and sat up from where he lay on his cot.   
  
"What am I doing here..." he muttered. He'd no doubt be thrown in jail for a merciless murder spree, having fired the Zeus Cannon.   
  
"What else was to be done? The damned planet deserved it..." he muttered, wincing as he bent his burned and bandaged wrists.   
  
His memory floated back to Aki, and how gentle she'd been while wrapping him up. Carefully, but swiftly and accurately. Why had she actually taken the time out of her day to spare his life? He knew it was all about the stupid spirit waves.   
  
"Damn Gaia. Damn spirit waves, damn life forms...DAMN GAIA!" Hein shouted, picking up the digital alarm clock that sat on the night table and hurling it across the room with unexplainable force.   
  
"Why couldn't I have died up there..." he muttered. Why hadn't he shot himself earlier? He could have done it, it would have been easy. Simple. Death, had never tasted so sweet, or as close he'd come to it, anyway.   
  
I'm a wuss, he thought. A no good, low life good-for-nothing chicken wuss. That's me. David Hein, chicken wuss and crazy sadistic murderer extraordinaire. That's me.   
  
He almost laughed aloud at this thought. It would be his new title. He could start a business, with all the business cards saying that about him. People would get a kick out of it.   
  
His office door would have the words "the psycho is in" on it, and people would flock from all over Gaia to see what he had to offer.   
  
He shook his head. "I've been in space too long. It's affecting my brain."   
  
His stomach growled from where he sat and he raised an eyebrow. "Looks like something in me still works."   
  
And without any further argument with his conscience, he rose from his cot, and left the room to find something to eat.   
  
----------------------   
  
Aki watched the dream again and again. She knew there must be a clue inside her dreams. A simple clue, something so small, she had to have been missing it.   
  
Dr. Sid had agreed to later come by the dream recording room to take a look at her dream for clues, however, that was a few hours ago, and he still wasn't there yet.   
With a sigh, Aki leaned back in the dream chair and shut her eyes.   
  
As her sight was blocked off from her closed eyes, her hearing had heightened some, and she listened as heavy footsteps trode down the hallway.   
  
With a smile, she shook her head, her eyes still closed. "I knew he'd get hungry sooner or later," she muttered.   
  
He stopped, hearing her mutter something, and peered in the room.   
  
"What do you want?" Aki asked sharply, opening her eyes to glare at the raven-haired man.   
He smirked. "I'm just curious why someone so...shall we say, gifted with the skill of knowledge is wasting her time in the dream recording room, when she should be-"   
  
"Throwing you in jail for viscous manslaughter? Yes, Hein. I'd love to do that sometime. Maybe I will have your ass thrown in jail. But until then, I have work to do in order to save my planet." Aki interrupted.   
Hein scowled. "Your planet. Since when is it your planet?"   
  
"Since you tried to destroy it, it's not yours anymore." She rose from the dream chair and walked up to him, her face inches from his. She scowled as she stared into his eyes, which were, without a doubt, cold and heartless.   
  
"Yes, Hein. You finally realize you're not God. What do you have to say about that?" she hissed.   
  
He grinned, "And you think you are God? No one is God but God Himself. And it's funny that you ask me that. A while back I was trying to destroy 'your' planet. It's really funny. I like your fire, Dr. Ross. It's...appealing to me. Now please excuse me while I go feed my growling stomach," Hein mercilessly replied.   
  
Aki glared as he smiled gently, and continued on down the hall.   
  
"Bastard," she muttered.  
  
-------------  
  
A/N: This was by Raine. I merely looked over it and agreed, so if you have some praise for this chapter talk to Raine. Yeah.   
  
Hmmm.... Hein gave a half hearted wave to all the readers. I didn't think he'd be so interested in the movie "The Lion King". *Watches with a snicker* Poor guy. I think the death of Simba's father hit him pretty hard.  
  
Hein: Hey, I can see that.   
  
Sev: oops.   
  
Hein: *Throws the rest of his ice cream at Sev's head*  
  
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	8. Scars

Chapter 7  
  
And here I am again, Hein thought bitterly as he stared up at Councilwoman Hee, who was now quietly conferring with Councilman Drake.   
  
Councilwoman Hee straightened, then called order, "We still have the issue of the phantoms. Dr. Sid believes that they did not immune, but somehow were aloud in."   
  
Hein felt his stomach tighten considerably, and he quickly looked over at Aki; she was going to tell the council what he had done, but surprisingly she stayed completely silent, looking somewhat fascinated by the metal surface of the table.  
  
It took a long moment before General Hein realized his hands were hurting, bleeding slightly at the dark burned cracks as he made a tight fist; he still hadn't replaced his trench coat and leather gloves, so instead of looking like some Goth he was wearing a dark gray uniform he wasn't fond of.   
  
"We have no evidence of anyone intentionally letting them through the barrier, but we must be cautious, for few have the authority to power down the barrier." Her gaze wandered over to Hein, and he cringed slightly, almost obviously.  
  
He looked back over at Aki, and she was still staring at the table, but her fascinated gaze was more of a glare now.   
  
The council looked over the people before them, "Does no one have anything to add?" Councilman Drake asked, crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
No one even twitched.   
  
Councilwoman Hee let out a disappointed sigh, "We have nothing to say, the evidence is oblivious to us and no one seems to be keen on referring suspects. If anyone finds any evidence what so ever, you shall come before the council in your own time. This session is dismissed."  
  
----------------------  
  
General Hein pulled on his new Trench coat, enjoying the same warmth. He looked meekly at the gloves on the desk and decided to leave them until later on.   
  
"What am I still doing here?" He asked quietly, "Why don't I just go back to Denver?"   
Hein sighed, leaning his forehead to the cold metal wall. He was living in a small building the council had cleared so those who escaped the New York Barrier would have a temporary home. He looked at the opened door and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Aki.  
"What are you doing here?" He snapped quickly.   
  
She walked over and quickly grabbed his hand, "Making sure this is healing properly before you go to Denver."  
  
"I didn't know I was going to Denver."   
  
Aki looked up in surprise, "You're not going back there?" She unwrapped the rest of the bandage and pulled out a small packet from her pocket.   
  
"No."   
  
She ripped it opened and pressed the small wet cloth onto his hand, the anti-infection stinging, "What do you have here that you don't have there?"   
  
He smiled almost ironically, "What do I have there that I don't have here?"   
  
"Good point."   
  
He nodded slightly, then looked down at his burnt hands, "Is this ever going to heal without scarring?"   
  
"Does it matter?"   
  
"Why wouldn't it?"   
  
"Because you always wear those gloves."   
  
He chuckled slightly, "Well, will they?"  
  
Aki sighed, turning serious, "They won't heal."  
  
"Good."   
  
Aki looked up in surprise, "Good?"   
  
"I can't learn from my mistakes if I don't have a reminder, can I?" He looked up into her eyes, and instead of the emotionless brown eyes he expected, he saw a twinge of sensitivity in the dark orbs.   
  
"Done." She said as she finished wrapping up his hands.   
He nodded, and she left. He sighed, then started off towards his office.  
  
-------------------  
  
Hein looked out the window sadly, pressing his now gloved hands against the glass. He remembered once thinking that the view from his window was beautiful, the orange glow of the barrier a constant reminder of why the phantoms deserved to die, and now all the orange glow meant now was failure.  
  
He turned cold green eyes down to the city, to the people walking around, just like in the New York Barrier. He closed his eyes, but the orange glare penetrated through his lids. Damn.   
  
--------------------  
  
Aki looked up at Daniel, "What do you want?" Daniel was one of General Hein's former men.  
He smiled slightly, "Nothing, really. I was just passing by, and I'm sure General Hein wants me to make sure you're not insane or something. Too bad he's dead." He laughed, but Aki just gave him a glare.  
  
"I don't care about him." Aki snapped.   
  
"I've known him for a long time," He said, "He told me about his family." He gave another laugh, "The whole team was practically fidgeting."   
  
"I don't care."   
  
"He doesn't cry." Daniel said sadly, "Someone who can't cry in very messed up. Too bad I didn't see that before"  
  
Aki looked up in surprise, "How would you know that?"   
  
"I remember him looking at a picture of his wife and child, and sobbing, but he wasn't crying. He didn't know I was there. He doesn't cry. I heard other people say similar things."  
  
Aki frowned slightly, "That's sad."   
  
Daniel nodded.  
  
Aki thought of Daniel as she looked through the doorway, at General Hein. Daniel hadn't been lying; General Hein didn't cry. He stood there, shoulders shaking, sobbing, but no tears were coming from his eyes. Aki backed away from the door, feeling a twinge of pain run through her heart.   
------------------  
Hein didn't have to turn around to know she was there; he could see her reflection in glass of the window. He slowly, very slowly calmed down; slowly his breathing, but the shaking in his shoulders didn't cease completely.   
  
He took a deep breath, letting it out in a soft hiss, I know you're there.  
  
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again she had left. He slammed his forehead against the glass roughly.  
  
Damn.   
  
------------------  
  
A/N: Oooh. I just watch Hannibal for the first time in Eight Months. I forgot how good that movie was. I also forgot how much blood it had... heheh. Anyway, I'm just chillin' and I think Hein is passed out on the bed. *Watches him* He twitches in his sleep. Quite amusing.  
  
Anywho, thanks for all the great feedback. We're on Chapter 13 and Raine is being frustrated cause I left Chapter 12 with a cliffhanger and she has to do Chap 13. :p But Hein decided to give her some hints. No fun.   
  
Oh well.   
  
"Though I must confess......... I'm seriously considering, eating your wife"   
  
Disclaimer: Again, I DO NOT OWN THEM!!!! Hein is still mad and has been bugging me into more movie rentals. Thankfully I had enough money leftover to get the movie "Lost in Space" so I could get my share of Gary Oldman. True, he was in Hannibal, but.... it's not like you could recognize him. Hehe. I'm getting off track.   
  
Chapter 7 by Severus editted by Raine blah blah blah   
  
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	9. Phobia

Chapter 8  
  
General Hein woke up to the sounds of loud, stomping footsteps from the hall; "I hate this place." He muttered and he buried his head into his pillow, "If I had died I wouldn't have to wake up to this stupid reality." Though, as he thought about it, stupid didn't quite fit it; more like depressing.  
  
Slowly he rose from his bed, grabbed his trench coat and walked out the door, right into-  
  
"Ah, it's about time you got up." Aki said with a smile.  
  
Hein moaned into his hand, "I really, really hate it here."  
  
"What, because we're living in the same building? Aw… I'm really hurt." Aki laughed, "The table have just turned. You're the one supposed to be mocking me."   
  
"Uh-huh." He said half-heartedly, slowly edging away.   
  
Aki looked as though she were about to say something, but suddenly her watch started beeping. She looked down at it and her eyes widened, "Uh, I have to go." She muttered turning and starting to walk away.  
  
General Hein fell into pace besides her, and Aki glared, "What do you want now?"   
  
General Hein smiled unctuously, "You have me curious now, and anyway, I doubt that message on your watch was really that enlightening, judging by your look of surprise. And you know how much I like to see you, of all people, worried."  
  
"I'm flattered, really, but this isn't a bad thing." Liar.  
  
"Okay, then tell me, if it isn't, in fact, a bad thing."  
  
Aki rolled her eyes, "If you don't go away you're coming with me to go somewhere rather dangerous."   
  
"With phantoms?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Huh," General Hein smirked, "Maybe I'll get killed."   
  
"Wouldn't that be a pity." Aki turned her dark gaze on him, "You're still following me."  
  
"Really? I hadn't noticed…" He shrugged, "I might as well go help you save 'your' planet, and maybe I'll have the fortune to get tossed off a cliff."   
  
"My planet?"   
  
General Hein sighed, shaking his head, "I thought we had already discussed that…"   
  
"Oh. That."   
  
"Yes, we had that discussion recently. Your mind must have wandered off and got lost."   
  
Aki gave him a side-look, "You really shouldn't be talking about losing your mind…"  
  
Aki just laughed when General Hein glared; she just laughed.  
  
--------------  
  
Aki allowed herself to be pulled to the side when Sid had seen General Hein, "What is   
General Hein doing here?"   
  
Aki decided to keep the childish part out of it, "He kindly offered." Haha. Right.   
  
Sid gave her a hard look, but decided to let it go, "Okay…" He said uncertainly, "But you have to remember how he sabotaged that one mission…"   
  
"There's no reason to do that now."   
  
Sid gave a sigh, "Alright."   
  
Sid and Aki turned back to General Hein, who was now surveying the ship, obviously bored.  
  
"We have discovered the location of another spirit wave." Dr. Sid said, "But the phantoms have spread there already. Not many, but a few."  
  
"Where is this, exactly?" Aki asked.  
  
"San Francisco." He said.  
  
General Hein visibly stiffened, suddenly going drastically paler then usual, his green eyes wide, "San Francisco?" He asked quietly.   
  
Dr. Sid nodded slightly, then looked back at Aki, "The ship is fixed, so it should go much faster this time. Good luck."   
  
----------------  
  
General Hein looked out the window as they traveled through space (which was faster without the gravity). To the side, the clock read "00:06:34"; it wasn't long until they arrived.   
  
Aki didn't know, she couldn't have. She would have stopped him from going, right? No, wrong; she probably wouldn't have cared.   
  
The gun strapped to his side was more tempting then ever as he sat alone. He smiled slightly as he thought about suicide, ever so tempting, ever so close. "General Hein blows his brains out; discovered of vicious manslaughter". He pulled the gun out, running a finger down the black grip. "Comment by Aki Ross; 'Whatever…' ". He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at the thought.   
  
00:04:02   
  
Too close…   
  
He felt the ship hit the atmosphere.   
  
Just put the gun away.   
  
Surprised by the sudden order, which, for the first time wasn't to kill himself, he strapped the gun back to his chest and leaned back on the chair, preparing for the tug of gravity.   
  
----------------  
  
He felt the rush of cold, chilling air as he stepped out into the barely, just barely light sky. Here it would be about 5:00, right? Yes, that sounds about right, he thought to himself.   
  
He found it hard to breathe, as he looked at his surroundings, so familiar and yet so foreign. The cold chill and the emptiness was nothing he wanted to remember of his home, but that's all it was. Cold, empty, and full of ghosts.   
  
He felt a chill run through his spine as he saw the dead tree to the side in a large plain of opened grass. He remembered when it was tall, green, lush.   
  
"The Spirit wave is around here." Aki said, looking around cautiously, "No phantoms so far."   
  
"Yeah, go ahead." He said.   
  
Aki gave him a weird look, but she started walking down the street. As soon as she was gone around the corner, David Hein walked to the tree. He hoisted himself up to the first branch, which was about half a foot thick and curved in an odd direction so it was perfect to sit on. He propped his feet up, leaning against the trunk, and as he closed his eyes. He could almost convince himself that his daughter was climbing higher, coaxing him to climb up with her, and he, blushing slightly, would admit his fear of heights, his wife laughing as she sat on the ground, book in hand.   
  
Laughter.   
  
Now there was something that was completely alien to him; true, blissful laugher, not a snide chuckle, just a laugh.   
  
-------------------  
  
"Oh, come on daddy! It's not that high!" Sarah looked down, wavy black locks of hair falling into her pale face; it was disturbing how much she resembled her father, with the full, pouty lips, narrow green eyes and a little splash of freckles on her pale skin.   
  
"You really should get down." David said worriedly, "Alright?"   
  
"Oh David." Anna said with a smile, "Just let her play."   
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts. Just let her be a kid." She laughed; her lavender colored eyes peaking up at him,   
  
"By the way you act it's almost as if you never had a childhood."  
  
"You know I was serious when I was little. I think my mother told you those stories a million times." David looked fearfully at the grassy ground, "Even being this high bothers me!" David whined, a death grip on the branch.   
  
"David, you're only six feet off the ground. Calm down!" Anna commanded, laughing.  
  
"Only?"   
  
"You're taller then six feet."  
  
"No, I'm six foot, Anna!" David said, crossing his arms for a moment before he grabbed the tree trunk again, looking worried.   
  
Sarah's laugher rang down to them, "Dad! You won't fall! And the ground's soft, I've fallen before. It doesn't hurt much."   
  
"But it still hurts…"  
  
Anna shook her head slightly, blond curls bouncing lightly, "David, you've been training and getting worse then little bruises."   
  
"But we don't climb trees."   
  
Anna laughed again, "Are you ever going to lose an argument?"   
  
"I doubt it." General Hein said truthfully, looking down at the ground with wide eyes, "Are you sure it's six feet?"   
  
Sarah giggled cheerfully, "No, dad, it's more like six foot one."   
  
"See!? I'm not as tall!"   
  
"David…" Anna said warningly, trying to keep the amusement out of her tone.  
  
"See, I'm not as tall! I told you! You were wrong and I was right!"   
  
Anna stood, dropping the book, "You're acting younger then Sarah."   
  
"Hey!" David and Sarah yelled in protest.  
  
Anna grabbed a branch that was a foot above her and swung herself up, climbed higher, then hooked her knees over it and hung upside down so her face was only a foot from David's, "You will not fall."   
  
"Anna, that's dangerous!"   
  
"Will you stop worrying already?" Anna asked, trying to give him a hard look, but failing since she was upside down; glaring didn't have it's full effect that way.   
  
"No!"  
  
"Did something happen to you when you were two or something?"   
  
"No, I'm just afraid of heights, like when I was claustrophobic. I just was."   
  
Anna tilted her head, "You're claustrophobic?"   
  
"I was, but after we snuck into the kitchen, went into the walk in freezer and-"  
  
"There's a kid here, David!" Anna snapped, flipping back up and sitting on the branch, "We should do that against sometime, anyway." She gave him a devilish smirk.   
  
David felt a blush creep onto his cheeks, "Um, yeah. Do you think Sarah will care that she was conceived in a walk-in freezer?"  
  
-------------   
  
David Hein couldn't help but laugh at the memory. The laugh felt alien in his throat, but he felt relieved, or better at least.   
  
"Something funny?" A voice asked, and David's head snapped around to look at Aki.   
  
David smiled, "I was just thinking."   
  
"There's a first for everything." Aki muttered, looking around, "See any life forms yet?"   
  
"Oh yeah, I saw one and it slipped my mind that I was supposed to tell you." Hein said sarcastically.   
  
"It should be right here." She said, looking at the dead grass under her feet.   
  
Hein gave an amused look, "Have you ever heard of insects? Or, pointedly, insects that live under ground."   
  
"Oh." Aki said, annoyed.  
  
She crouched down and started digging with her hand on the tough ground. After a moment, she rolled her eyes, stood and started kicking the ground, which proved more effective. The minute the ground was loosened she leaned down and brushed the dirt away, and sure enough a small, little worm was there.   
  
"Perfect." She said, then looked up at Hein, "Well, pick it up."  
  
"I'm quite comfortable right here, thank you."   
  
"Um…" Aki looked at the writhing worm and bit her lip.  
  
"Don't tell me you're afraid of worms."   
  
Aki blushed, "Just get down here and pick it up." She snapped.  
  
Hein sighed, shaking his head and jumped down, "I was quite comfortable up there…"   
  
He learned down and scooped up the worm, then dangled it in front of her face, "It won't kill you." He said, "It's just a little worm."   
  
-It's just six feet-  
  
"Let's just go." Aki said, blushing.   
  
-----------------  
  
Hein: *Points and laughs at Aki* What a wimp.   
  
Sev: You really shouldn't be laughing. *blinkblink* Go eat some ice cream or something.   
  
Hein: Will do! *Runs off to go find ice cream*   
  
Sev: So, reveiws are good. Like this chapter? I did this one solo. I rock. Now we're getting closer to chapter 13, which isn't done, so I might post slightly slower, okay? Raine will be done with that Chapter and I'll probably have mine done in five minutes after I get it (hehe) so we'll be up to chapter 14 soon. I just don't want to keep posting and run out of chapters to sell you guys for a few days. I think you guys can handle it. Most likely that won't happen.   
  
Ta ta (I've been watching too much Hannibal)   
  
---------------- 


	10. Silent Thoughts

Chapter 9  
  
Hein smiled when he remembered her expression. Her humorous reaction to the tiny living, wriggling spirit they'd found that night.  
  
From where he lay, the light of the moon shining in from his opened blinds of his room lit up the gun that lay on the table next to his bed. The gun he'd attempted suicide with countless times. He'd always been too scared. It was as if Anna had been standing next to him while he held the gun to his temple, all the while begging him, saying the same words over, and over again. "Don't do it, don't do it..."  
  
The words pounded in his skull, filling his brain, clouding his mind, with his wife's long lost voice...he longed to hear her speak, but he knew. If she didn't want him to be dead, and join her...there was a perfectly good reason. It was logical.   
  
Hein didn't believe in ghosts. This vision...the voice he heard, the voice of his deceased wife...it was just a memory. He thought he heard her. But he was actually hearing a memory. He was saying don't do it, but...he heard his wife speaking it.  
  
He never gave it much thought before. But lying awake at 3 in the morning got your mind going and before too long...it was too late to stop the thoughts from flowing in, invading your mind, your privacy, your personal space.  
  
Hein balled his fists and shoved them into his eyes, shutting out the pictures, covering the light. No light, no memories. No past. He didn't want to be haunted anymore.  
  
With a sigh, he rose from his bed, and gazed at the moon. Anna entered his mind again. Where was she, really? Even though she was gone, did her spirit, her soul...still live on? Should he believe in another life? Why? Was there another life...? And if so...was Anna there? If he left his world, would he go to that other life?   
  
Too many questions. He shut his eyes tight, leaning his forehead against the cool glass pane. It was going to be a long night.  
  
***********  
  
Aki lay awake in her cot. What time was it? Her digital clock beeped next to her, signifying 4am. Was she really still awake?  
  
For some odd reason, General Hein crossed her mind. Why was she thinking of him?   
  
She remembered his mocking smile as he'd laughed at her for being afraid of the specimen they'd found earlier that night. The worm. That stupid worm, she thought. He'd made her look like a fool.   
  
He'd laughed at her. That gentle, patient, mocking laugh. Had she really looked that funny? Volunteering to venture into a dead city full of deadly soul-sucking alien phantoms, but too afraid to pick up a worm.   
  
Aki smiled to herself. It was kind of silly, she thought. Not afraid of phantoms, but afraid of a tiny worm.  
  
Shuddering with the thought of the creature, it's slimy skin touching her hand when Hein had tossed it at her. She'd squealed in disgust, nearly dropping the wave, if Hein hadn't expected her to drop it, it might've landed on the ground, and perished. She'd sealed it, and made Hein hold it.  
  
Trying to hide a smile she knew no one would see, she stared up at the ceiling. Again, she heard Hein's mocking laugh in her mind.   
  
She frowned. It was going to be a long night  
  
-------------------  
  
This Chapter was Solo by Raine.   
  
Sevy: Wasn't that just dandy?   
  
Disclaimer: You know that Final Fantasy in not mine.   
  
------------------- 


	11. Demoted

Chapter 10  
  
Hein awoke once again to the sound of loud footsteps, as he normally did. This was quite convenient since he had sort of broken his alarm clock. He figured he'd gotten about an hour of sleep, give or take some, and probably wasn't awake enough to actually get out the door.   
  
Several minutes later he was still lying on his bed, and had not moved an inch. He would have liked more sleep but the footsteps echoing down the corridor prevented that.   
  
Finally, he sat up, stretching, and noticed his computer blinking to signify a new message.   
Staggering over, he clicked the button and read it over. Most of it was a bunch of tot about how Dr. Sid had told them that he had refused to negotiate and all that. The only part that stood out in the entire message was "You have been demoted to Major".   
  
---------------  
  
Aki was only next door in her room when she heard a very loud "MAJOR?" shouted, obviously incredulous and she could only think of one person who could raise his voice like that.   
  
Shaking her head, she slowly walked out of her room and went to General Hein's door, pressing the small beeper that notified him that she was there.  
  
"What?" He barked from inside. Yep, he was definitely the one who had yelled.   
  
Aki walked in to see a very abnormally pale, somewhere between angry and depressed looking General, "Um, are you okay?"   
  
He gave her a dull look, "I've been demoted to Major."   
  
Aki blinked, unsure of how to react, "Um, how?"   
  
He glared at the air, "It was your precious Doctor friend who had me demoted."   
  
Aki furrowed her brow, and crossed her arms slightly, "Why?"   
  
"Well, he told them about how I wouldn't talk to you during the Zeus Cannon." Hein scowled, "I thought you were controlled." He took a step forward.  
  
"No you didn't." Aki snapped, a sudden rush of anger running through her at the memory, "You just used me as a weakness in the council. You know that, and I know that. I could have you in jail right now, FOR LIFE if I wanted to, but you're not."   
  
He narrowed his dark green cat-like eyes, "And I've been meaning to ask you, why am I not in jail?" He took another step closer to her.  
  
Aki looked up, shocked, then slowly looked down, "I don't know…"  
  
She moved to look back up into his eyes, and suddenly felt his lips pressed against her own.   
  
-------------  
  
A/N: Sev here.... just read chapter 13....................... *Bursts into tears* RAINE HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME WITH THIS CLIFFHANGER?!?!?!?!?!? HOW?!!??!?!?!   
  
*Sob*   
  
------------- 


	12. Strange Message

Chapter 11  
  
From where she sat in her room, she could recall what had happened earlier as she gazed out the window. She sat comfortably in a chair that easily rolled across the floor, and while she'd been attempting to work, she found herself rolling the chair over to the window.   
  
Had that really happened? Had he...kissed her? She remembered...looking at him, with such...confusion as he was so angry of his demotion...he'd been yelling minutes before...then he'd kissed her. No warning, no reason. Then he'd stormed out; leaving Aki confused beyond her own belief.   
  
Why did it happen? What was it for? She put a hand to her forehead. "This is all...too much to think about..." she muttered. Standing up, she walked across the room to her computer, to where a new message beeped for her this time.   
  
--Sent by: Major Hein--December 23rd--2065--09: 43am--   
  
I don't really know what to say. This is...crazy. Your oh-so-special doctor sent me a message, claiming there are only two of your 'spirit waves' left to find, and he told me to notify you, and go out to find them. I still don't know why the good doctor sent ME the message, and not you. He's probably on to me. By next week, I bet I'll be lower than a major. Damn him.   
  
--End message--   
  
Aki frowned. What was this all about?   
  
-------------   
  
Hein paced back and forth in his room. He was sure the scuff marks on the floor were from his boots.   
  
What had he done that for?   
  
"I'm such an IDIOT!" he growled, banging a clenched fist against the table. The items on the table rattled with the force, and he was pretty sure there was a dent in the table that hadn't been there before.   
  
There was a beep at his door, signifying someone there. "What?" he growled.   
  
"Uh...Major? It's Aki, I'm here about the...spirit wave?" came her voice from outside his door. Walking to the door and banging his forehead against it a few times, he decided to let her in.   
  
"What are you talking about this time?" he muttered as she walked in, without giving him a second glance.   
  
"The message you sent me. About Dr. Sid?" she asked.   
  
Hein frowned. "...I didn't send you a message, what's going on?" he asked.   
  
Aki sat down in the seat across from his computer, ignoring his protests, and logged into her message control center.   
  
"See, right here." She pointed to a tiny icon that read: 'Major Hein-09: 43am'   
  
Hein frowned. "Weird...I didn't send that. What does it say?"   
  
Aki opened it so he could read it for himself. Hein smirked after.   
  
"It's Sid. The good doctor is playing with us."   
  
"Why do you say that?" Aki asked, turning to face him.   
  
He simply smiled and patted her shoulder. "We'll find out soon. Come, let's go look for the spirit wave."   
  
"What is this all about?" Aki muttered to herself. "Maybe I should have just shoved him in jail..." She grinned. It was going to get interesting.  
  
------------  
  
Solo by Raine and all that  
  
Severus here. I finally figured out what to do with chapter 13 (bah) and Raine did chapter 15 without a cliffhanger. Hehe. Anyway, so, enjoy this chapter. I kinda forgot the last one I posted was a cliffhanger itself. I wasn't paying attention.   
  
Thanx to all those great reviewers and the people with this on their favorite list!   
  
------------ 


	13. Phantoms ~The First Cliffhanger! *Gasp*~

Chapter 12  
  
Aki shuddered as she looked around the darkness of Seattle, looking over the skeletons, much like in Old New York. She lifted the gun to the air and shot, the sparks falling over the streets.   
  
Hein growled, "Could you at least warn me when you do that?"   
  
She looked down at her watch, "This place is riddled with phantoms."   
  
"Please, tell me something that I do not know..." He snapped, but slowly took the gun off his chest and looking around cautiously; "Are you sure it's here?"   
  
"No, not exactly." She said distractedly, shooting another blast into the air.   
  
Hein shuddered at the sound, "Did you hear what I said earlier or not?"   
  
"Aren't we jumpy?" Aki asked mockingly, smirking at him.   
  
He glared, "So, is your watch picking up anything?"   
  
"Well, yeah," She pointed to the old park, with a dead tree and dry, brown grass, "But knowing my luck there's a phantom over there."   
  
"I see..."   
  
She fired the gun towards the entrance to the park, and 'Major' Hein jumped in surprise. She just sent him an annoying smile and started towards the gate, jumping over the partially broken fence. Hein followed her, looking around cautiously.   
  
"Oh god..."   
  
Hein looked up, "What now?"   
  
"Do you have any idea how to catch a squirrel?"   
  
"No, it's... not one of my specialties." He slowly looked over, seeing at small, little squirrel sitting on it's haunches, "How did that survive out here?"   
  
"No clue. Come on. Um..." She cautiously took a step forward. The small squirrel looked up at her with black eyes, then fled into the tree, "Well, great." She looked up the dead tree.  
  
"Well, go get it." Hein said with a very, very smug smile.   
  
"After you."   
  
He gave her a sharp look, "You're better at climbing."   
  
"How do you know that?"   
  
"Everyone's better at climbing then me, trust me. Anyway, I'm, or was a general. Generals don't use their free time to climb trees."   
  
"And I do?"   
  
He grinned, "You're a scientist. Sometimes it's necessary. Now go up there, and get the damn squirrel."   
  
She looked up at the branch, which was a few inches above her arm's length, "A little help, please?"   
  
"Jump."   
  
"I'm not going to give you that amusement. Get over here and lift me up to grab the branch."  
  
Shaking his head with amusement, he walked over, grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up the few inches she needed to grab the branch.   
  
"You have upper body strength, right?"   
  
"Shut up before I kick you."   
  
"Kick me? Well, that would mean you have lower body strength." Hein smiled obnoxiously.   
  
"Another word and I will hurt you." Aki warned, hoisting herself up onto the branch.   
  
"Ah, so your hilarious excuse for upper body strength prevails." He felt something bonk onto the side of his head, and when he looked down he realized that she had just pegged him out with an acorn; "Was that supposed to do something?"   
  
"You could shut up."   
  
"You might need a contained of some sort to hold the squirrel. They bite rather hard."   
Aki looked down at him, "How would you know that?"  
  
"I was a kid once, you know."   
  
"I'd of never known..." She said in fake awe.   
  
Hein scowled, "Oh well, go get bit. I'm not going to go get you anything to hold it in now. Hm... I doubt you could catch him anyway."   
  
Aki narrowed her eyes at the squirrel sitting at the edge of the branch, giving her a small squirrel smile as if to say 'I dare you. Try to get me'. Aki suddenly jumped at the Squirrel, but only felt a slight weight as it jumped on her back and scampered off, higher in the tree. Aki slipped when she tried to get up, and again was hanging off the branch by her arms. On the ground she heard Hein laugh.   
  
"This isn't funny." She muttered, swinging herself back onto the branch.   
  
"On the contrary. I think this is quite hilarious." Suddenly he looked serious. He quickly took the gun she had laid in the ground, and shot it off in the air, the golden sparks falling.   
  
As she watched, the faint outline of a phantom appeared. Hein quickly grabbed his own gun, cocked it and shot at the phantom. The phantom screeched, and he had to dodge the long tentacles that shot out at him, and for a moment Aki could have sworn one hit him. He fired several more times before the phantom finally fell to the ground, still alive. He fired until he was out of ammo.   
  
"Damn," He said, "His screech will attract other phantoms."   
  
Aki quickly stood, looking up at the squirrel, which was very concentrated on the screech. She snatched it quickly, the small animal struggling and biting her hand several times. She forced it into her pocket and zipped it shut.   
  
She quickly jumped out of the tree, stumbling to the ground. Hein grabbed her shoulder to steady her, looking around with wide eyes. He fired the gun into the air, the sparks coming down. The outlines of several phantoms appeared.   
  
"And now is the time we run." He said calmly, turned on heel and bolted.   
  
Aki sent a last look at the approaching phantoms before following after him towards the ship. She stumbled up the ramp, which quickly closed behind her. Hein was already at the cockpit, muttering to himself. He was rubbing his left collarbone through his suit as he worked.   
  
Suddenly the ship lifted off the ground and blasted into the air. Hein was still rubbing his collarbone.  
  
Then the realization hit Aki.   
  
He had been touched by a phantom.  
  
And she didn't have the tools to save him.   
  
------------  
  
Chapter solo by Severus  
  
A/N: MWAHAHAHA!!! THE FIRST OF SEVERAL CLIFFHANGERS! See, this is why Raine wanted payback. Because I gave her this cliffhanger. Heehee.   
  
------------ 


	14. Pain ~The Second Cliffhanger~

Chapter 13  
  
Dr. Sid sighed with happiness and leaned back in his chair. It was all going according to plan! It was working!  
  
Project Aki-Hein was almost complete! He grinned and shut his eyes for a brief moment of rest.  
  
The beeping of an incoming message startled him, and he almost fell backwards out of the chair.  
  
"What that would do to my old bones," he muttered as he pressed the button that would bring up the screen for the incoming message.  
  
The screen was filled with Aki's upset and terrified face. "Dr. Sid!" she cried, her brows turning towards each other in a worried expression.  
  
"Yes, Aki, what is it? Did you get the specimen?" he asked.   
  
Aki frowned in frustration. "Yes, but nevermind that! The place was overrun by phantoms!"  
"And...?"  
  
Aki sighed with attempted patience. "Hein was touched by one! And I don't have the tools to save him!" she cried, near tears.  
  
"Aki...I don't know what to tell you..." Sid thought for a moment. "Do you have the necessary equipment to get him back here in time?"  
  
Aki slammed her fists on the table, shaking the screen. "Dr. Sid! We don't have TIME for that now, it's already code red!" she cried, her eyes tearing up.  
  
"Aki...Aki, calm down."  
  
"NO! I'm NOT going to calm down! I don't have the tools to save him! What can I do!!?" In the background, Dr. Sid could just see Hein on the cot in the back of the ship. He appeared to be in a great deal of pain.  
  
Frowning and crossing his arms, Dr. Sid sighed once more. "Aki...there could be a simple way to contain the phantom virus in him until you can get him back here. Set the ship on auto-pilot for here, and try to contain the phantom as best you can without the necessary tools."  
  
Aki wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks and sighed. "...How, Sid. Tell me."  
  
"Check where we keep the guns. There are often special items in there that even I don't know about," Sid suggested.  
  
Aki nodded and ran to the compartment that held the phantom destroying weapons.  
  
As luck would have it, there was an item in there, which appeared to Aki like a life-saving item. She grinned with relief, and turned to Hein. "You're going to be alright," she whispered, squeezing his hand as she lifted the equipment from the compartment.  
  
Nodding to Sid, who also nodded in return, she set up the tools, and prepared to contain the phantom.   
  
"Major...I will save your life," Aki whispered, before operating the machine.   
  
Lasers this way, lasers that way, all kinds of separate lasers went into his body. Finally, a blue light from the laser appeared on his chest. Aki made her way over to where he lay, to realize that it must've worked. The phantom had been contained.  
  
Turning to Dr. Sid with a triumphant grin, which of course, Dr. Sid returned, she shut the machine off and packed it up to be put away.  
  
The transporter was already halfway to the station by now, and Aki turned off the autopilot, to resume the flight. Things were going to be all right after all.  
  
------  
  
With twenty minutes of flight left, Aki in total relaxation, the spirit wave contained in a safe place, Aki was alarmed when a moan came from the back of the ship.  
  
Turning to Hein, she was horrified at what she saw. His aura was red, and his face was scrunched with writhing pain.  
  
With a horrified realization, she realized what was happening.  
  
The treatment hadn't worked.  
  
And now, Hein was going to die from it.  
  
-------------  
  
SOLO BY RAINE! That means blame her for frustration!   
  
A/N: I told you we had some evil cliffhangers.   
  
-------------  



	15. Hope ~The Third *but minor* Cliffhanger~

Chapter 14  
  
Pain.   
  
That's all that existed.   
  
The pain ripped through his chest and collar bone, throat seizing, breaths baited, hands clenched until it was only the glove keeping him for puncturing the already burnt skin and the vague, very vague burning sensation running through his head.   
  
And through the pain, a single thought rang in his mind.  
  
At least this is easier then suicide...   
  
But inside his hurting mind, he knew that this wasn't supposed to be the time he went. No, he was supposed to live his life. Slowly everything started to fade. He wondered if he was dead, but the pain was still there, so he couldn't be.   
  
The minute he figured out he was unconscious, he wished he weren't. The sounds of whispers echoed around him, accusing, taunting and angry. He knew these voices, these whispers of the people he once knew.   
  
All your fault.   
  
"No." Hein muttered, still feeling the pain that ran through his body in the conscious world.   
  
Murderer.  
  
"No! I didn't mean to kill anyone!" He looked through the darkness, seeing eyes, only eyes around him, all glaring.   
  
But you did...  
  
"I didn't mean..."  
  
You meant to kill Aki, didn't you? You knew people would die if you let them into the city! You knew... You just didn't know how many you would murder.   
  
David took a deep breath, looking at the accusing eyes, trying to ignore the whispers; "Yes, I knew... I knew that I did it for the better."   
  
No, killing humans is never for the better. Life is too important to take, David. It was never for the better.   
  
"Anna?" he whispered.  
  
-----------------  
  
Aki stood, frozen on the spot, watching the Major suffer. How long did she have, about two minutes before he finally would...  
  
She remember how painful it was, the ripping feeling inside of you, the way it had stayed until she would put another spirit wave into... THAT'S IT!   
  
Aki quickly ran over to the computer next to the cot Hein was on, quickly typing away, eyes searching the screen. She glanced, sure that he was unconscious by now. She looked over the software, a small smile gracing her lips; yes, she could do this. They had almost all the spirit waves, all extracted from the specimens.   
  
She pressed a metal plate onto his collarbone and secured it, the one not unlike her old one, and used it like she had in the crater; she transferred the seven spirit waves to him instantly.   
  
"Work... Come on..." A moment later he stopped seizing, and that suggested that most of the phantoms particles died.   
  
Most.   
  
She prayed that they would have enough time to get to New York.   
  



	16. Saved ~The Cliffhangers are gone!~

Chapter 15  
  
The ship pulled into the docking bay, and almost immediately, paramedics fled inside, to rescue Hein and carry him away on a stretcher. As they ran off with him, Aki frowned as she saw Hein's eyes flicker with fear, and saw his hand...reaching out to her.   
  
"Aki..." he mouthed, before passing out once again.   
  
Dr. Sid was the first to greet Aki when she left the ship. "Well? Did it work?" he asked.   
Aki shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, Sid. Didn't you see the paramedics run off with him?" she asked, her throat closing as the tears came. "He...reached for me before he passed out again, Dr. Sid," She whispered. Sid placed a hand on her shoulder.   
  
"Go to him, Aki. He needs you."   
  
Aki nodded and jogged off to the operation room, where Hein had been taken.   
  
------   
  
Hein's face grimaced with pain as the doctors tried desperately to control and destroy the phantom.   
  
With strong determination, she pushed past the others, and pushed the main doctor out of the way.   
  
"Get out of my way, it's my turn."   
  
"But-" the thin, elderly doctor complained.   
  
"No buts! Just stay back and out of my way. I have a major to save here."   
  
Aki took over the controls, imputing her entire concentration on the particle that was shown.   
  
Moving the laser....LOCKED. Kapow. She shot the laser...again, and again...the particle moved viciously...but still...Got smaller and smaller...it was going to be okay....   
*ZAP!* The final blow, and the particle disintegrated. A red word came on screen. "COMPLETE".   
  
Aki sighed with relief. It had worked after all.   
  
--------   
  
*Knock knock*   
  
Hein groaned from where he lay. The operation had drained the majority of his strength. He didn't want to see anyone right now.   
  
"Major Hein...it's me," came Aki's voice from outside the door.   
  
At the sound of her voice, Hein perked up a little. "Aki?" he asked.   
  
"Yes, Hein. I'm Aki. Can I come in?" she replied, a smile in her voice. She was laughing at him...again.   
  
"Whatever...." he muttered.   
  
The door slid open, and Aki walked in, a triumphant smile on her face.   
  
"We did it," she announced, pulling up a chair and squeezing his hand. She admitted he looked particularly cute in his gray sweatpants and T-shirt, lounge clothes, as she'd call them, just lying there...so innocently.   
  
"What do you mean 'we'? You did the operation."   
  
"You survived, " she shot back, with a grin.   
  
He sighed. "You win," he muttered.   
  
She grinned. "I always do."   
  
"So what are we doing next, Oh Brilliant One," Hein shot back snidely. She swatted his hand and smiled.   
  
"We have one more spirit wave to find," Aki replied.   
  
Hein groaned. "No...Not again. You're going to put my life in danger AGAIN, for something like a little worm or a squirrel that you could easily get by yourself?"   
  
Aki grinned. "You helped me on both of those occasions. You picked up the worm, you boosted me up to the tree. There, wiseguy. You helped me. You might as well even be considered...my partner."   
  
---------  
  
Hein snorted. "Your partner? Just where do you get off calling me your partner, missy? I'm a major, and you're a doctor. Wow. Partners in crime," he scoffed.   
  
"Shut up, Hein. Your sarcastic side really pisses me off."   
  
"Well, maybe I want to piss you off so you can leave."   
  
"I have the feeling you don't want me to leave."   
  
"And if I said that I didn't want you to leave, what would you say?" he asked, turning towards her.   
  
"I'd say that's bullshit."   
  
"You'd be wrong."   
  
That caught Aki off guard and she forced her eyes away from his smiling green ones.   
  
-----------------  
  
Solo By Raine  
  
A/N: Okay guys, this is Sevy again. Raine is very busy with school so I will being doing several chapters in a row when you get up the chapter 16, okay? Anyway, I must make a small note here for those of you who don't check my personal ff.net account.  
  
I'm starting a new Aki/hein story dedicated to LadyKayoss, our first and most devoted reviewer, Ewalyn and Ntrophi! Thank you LadyKayoss, Ewalyn and Ntrophi!   
  
Here's the address to 'New Life: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=397942 


	17. Opposite of the 'Morning people'

Chapter 16   
  
Hein slowly opened tired eyes at the new surroundings of the Medical Bay. The first pain of having your body ripped through by phantom particles was gone, replaced by the dull ache. Looking up from the pure white covers of the bed, he saw Aki, asleep sitting in the chair by his bed.   
  
They were forced to shut up after arguing, since two doctors came in demanding that he get some sleep and quiet down so the other patients could get some as well.   
  
The sound of the normal music rang quietly through the room, almost lulling him back to sleep. He smiled at the sleeping Aki, her arms propped up on the back of the chair (she was sitting backwards on the chair, facing him), brown hair falling in front of her face.   
  
Sighing, he looked down at his clothes, a subconscious growl forming in his throat. He hated anything, anything that wasn't black or dark gray.   
  
He slowly sat up, glancing over at the mirror and visibly flinching at the state of his hair. No gel and sticking out in just about every direction. He ran a hand through it, but it stubbornly went back to sticking up in every direction. Again, he attempted to flatten it, but it persistently stuck up again.   
  
Sighing in defeat, he laid back onto the bed, looking at the ceiling idly. He had mentally memorized every crack and hole and the cream color by the time Aki woke up, blinking furiously. She slowly brushed back her hair and turned dark eyes onto him.  
  
"Ah, so she's finally up." Hein said, lifting an arm to his forehead in a pathetic attempt to hide his overly messy hair.  
  
"So, you can get up now? And we can do something useful, like go scan for the final spirit?"  
  
--------------------------  
  
"Ooooh my head hurts." Hein said as he sat down in the cabin of the scanner that lifted of the city, not unlike the one Gray and her sat in a little while before he died.   
  
Aki thought of making a snide remark, but remembered the pain she felt after the phantom particles had ripped through her body. Headache didn't even explain it. Watching the Major out of the corner of her eye, she slowly clicked on the keyboard, and the scanning room lifted higher above Houston. If she weren't inside a barrier she was sure it would be scorching hot.   
  
"I should have stayed in bed."   
  
Aki giggled, "No, you should brush your hair."   
  
He blinked incredulously, then remembered the rather unorganized state of his hair, "Shut up."   
  
She smiled slightly, "Is your hair always that messy in the morning? Or rather, without your beloved hair gel?"   
  
"No…" He rubbed his aching forehead.  
  
Aki shook her head, trying not to laugh. He must have had a bad headache if he wasn't trying to make good retorts. Shaking her head, Aki grabbed the glass of water she happen to have, poured some onto her hand and raked it through his hair, it finally slicking back again. One drop of water went down his nose, making him go cross-eyed as it dripped off the edge of his nose.   
  
"Better?"   
  
"Oh yes, much better. " He said sarcastically as he patted his own head to see the difference.   
  
Aki laughed, "You're really slow when you're tired, aren't you?"  
  
"Is it that obvious?" He glared slightly.   
  
"Ah. I take it you're not a morning person."   
  
He glared.  
  
Aki laughed, and went back to scanning the city for the spirit wave. So far there had been nothing. She doubted there would be anything at all. This was more just to kill time then anything else, and of course to make sure to rule out any possibility.   
  
David gave a slight moan as he rubbed his head, "Do you have any pain killers?"   
  
"Yeah, back at my office." She stopped the scan and the cabin lowered back to the ground, "Come on."   
  
Sighing, he followed her to her office.   
  
Aki walked in, looking around the cabinets. She successfully found a bottle of aspirin and gave it to him.   
  
"Aspirin. Oh yeah, real original there." He popped to into his mouth, swallowing them without water.   
  
"At least they work." Aki said pointedly.   
  
He mumbled something incoherent; yep, definitely too tired to make any witty comments.   
  
---------  
  
Solo by Severus   
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. The WTC collapsing and all that stressed me and induced bad writers block, but inspired poetry instead. Well, anyway, I can write since the shock wore off, finally.   
  
Hein is watching Interview with the Vampire. *Giggles* I recorded it and now he's obsessing over vampire books.   



	18. Hair, Smiles, and more Asprin!

Chapter 17  
  
Aki sat down at the soft leather chair, and she heard the rattle of pills from inside the bathroom. Several hours later, he had demanded more painkillers. At first she had ignored him, but the headache had been quite irritating, and since she couldn't concentrate with his complaining she dragged him back to her office to get painkillers.   
  
She heard a gagging and snickered. Hein came back out, looking irritating and holding a glass of water in his hand.   
  
Aki turned to hold back a laugh. "Have fun?"   
  
Hein glowered, but merely replied "Oh yes, lots." Hein sat down in the chair opposite of her, looking down at his watch, seeing the date. "Um, you know… that stupid celebration starts tomorrow night. Wish to join me?"   
  
Aki was taken aback. "Me, go with you?"   
  
"I know, you probably don't want to. I'd just look like a chicken wuss if I couldn't even ask a girl to a party." He smiled at the irony.   
  
Aki shrugged. "Sure, of course I will."   
  
"Great." He ran a hand through his hair, which was no longer wet, and sighed.  
  
Aki grinned, noticing that he was irritated. "Oh come on, it looks good for you to have longer hair."   
  
Hein went back into the bathroom and looked in the mirror again. "It hasn't been cut in about what, eight weeks? Nine weeks, I think. It's getting too long."  
  
"Oh, just leave it."   
  
"You like your hair." Hein came out, crossing his arms.   
  
"If you keep your hair like that then I'll go do something to my hair."   
  
Hein snorted. "Only Teenagers should make those sort of games."   
  
"Games?" Aki asked, grinning. "Oh come on, I like your hair long."   
  
"So?"   
  
Aki sighed, then said, as a last resort, "I'll bleach my hair if you keep your hair long."   
Hein gave her a blank look, and then his face slowly broke into a very slight smirk. "Fine, it's a deal. Now go bleach your hair."   
  
----------  
  
The next day Aki found herself in front of a mirror, applying white goo into her hair.   
"This better be worth it." She muttered, squirting more goo onto her scalp. In the mirror she could see it was already turning white through the goo. "This probably was a bad idea."   
  
----------  
  
Hein sat, teetering slightly on the edge of the bed as he waited for Aki to finish her hair. The caffeine from more aspirin was really starting to get to him, and he couldn't stop smiling, which wasn't very normal since he was used to have the mean, demanding, manipulative glare. He was just completely happy for the first time in many, many years, since Anne, and for some reason he couldn't shake it off. When Anne was still alive, he was always hyper and only serious if he was in training.   
  
Aki stepped out a moment later, hair dry and hanging to the sides of her face. Hein couldn't help be smile more broadly; her hair was pure white except for the tips and the roots, which she had obviously left alone. It actually looked surprisingly stylish. She was wearing a purple dress with a strap going around her neck and it stopping at the ankles. It had a long cloth hanging around her elbows.  
  
Hein couldn't help but stare, finally snapping out of it when she asked. "Is it really that bad?"   
  
Hein blinked incredulously before the question registered. "No, no, of course not. It's…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. "It's nice." Beautiful wasn't something that was about to come out of his mouth.   
  
She smiled. "Really? Thanks."   
  
Hein looked at his watch. "We should leave."   
  
-----------  
  
By Severus  
  
WOW! Finally another chapter! I'm sorry, so, so sorry I took so long! Veryvery sorry!  
  
Sorry, Hein can't say hi. He's kind of out to McD's to get some ice cream.  
  
------------  



	19. Don't look up...

Chapter 18 (holy crap, we're getting up there)   
  
The hall was decorated extravagently.  
  
People of all colors and sizes, an amazing amount, anyway, were all dressed for the occasion. Some in velvet, some in silk, colors that reflected the joy of the season.  
  
Major Hein scowled in his suit, tugging at his tie every so often. Aki grinned lightly, stopping him momentarily to reajust the tie for the fifteen thousanth time.  
  
Her hair amused the Major, and he hid fits of giggling as he watched her concentrate on fixing his tie.  
  
"You're going to get so many looks in there," he announced to her, and the tone of his voice made Aki blush.  
  
"I'd say the same for you, you're wearing a tie. AND, you're there with me, of all people. We're sworn enemies, remember?"   
  
Aki asked, taking his arm again as they continued to stroll down the hallway to the ballroom. Or at least, the room the staff had made into a ballroom.  
  
"Well, I guess...oh well. Let's just relax and have some fun." His green eyes were set serious, and it worried her.  
  
"Major Hein, did I really hear that come from those lips of yours?" she asked, her face filled with shock.  
  
He grinned. "What, you're the one who's strange here. You bleached your hair."  
  
Aki fingered the tips of her hair in disappointment. "Perhaps...either way, stop bothering me about it."  
  
"I will if you stop fixing my tie."  
  
---  
  
Dr. Sid grinned as he saw the two enter the lightly lit room. "I hope one of them looks up," he chuckled to himself.  
  
Glancing above the two, he saw the little sprig hanging on the doorframe.  
  
"Doctor, you are evil, you know that?" Councilwoman Hee informed him with a laugh.  
  
Sid grinned. "Yes. I'm just trying to lighten things up between them."  
  
Hee shook her head. "You don't want to lighten things up too much, I mean, Dr. Ross' hair can't get any lighter!" she joked.  
  
Dr. Sid burst into laughter. "Well, you never know with those two. They are so spontaneous it's scary."  
  
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Dr."  
  
---  
  
Aki glanced up, and blushed madly.  
  
Hein, noticing the redness of her fair skin, frowned. "What did I do this time?"  
  
"Look up."  
  
Realizing what she said, she paled. "No, look down!"  
  
Too late.  
  
"Hah, I see what you're worried about. Come on, Aki. It's Christmas tradition," Hein pushed her, shaking her arm.  
  
"Tradition?! Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real David Hein?" she asked, staring into his eyes.   
  
Laughing, he took her face in his hands. "He's right here."  
  
Having said that, he pointed to the mistletoe, and kissed her.   
  
---  
  
By Severus and Raine  
  
Sev: OH GOD! WATCH OUT FOR THE--! *A truckfull of sap washes Severus downstream*   
  
Hein: Oooooooooops. 


	20. Dancing with an Angel

Chapter 19   
  
Aki was the first to say something. "Wow," she breathed. Hein just smiled. "What, you think that just because I'm a cold hearted bastard that I can't participate in Christmas tradition?" he asked. Aki stuttered and shook her head.   
  
"So that was out of tradition, then?" she asked, hints of anger rising in her voice.   
  
He smiled again, placing a finger on her lips. "There is still much of the tradition to carry out, Aki, my dear." With that having been said, he took her hand, and, aware of everyone in the ballroom's eyes on them, led her out to the dance floor.   
  
"May I have this dance?" he asked, bringing her hand to his lips lightly.   
  
She blushed furiously. "Sure..." she stuttered, making him grin even more.   
  
"Spend all your time waiting   
For that second chance   
For a break that would make it okay   
There's always some reason   
To feel not good enough   
And it's hard at the end of the day   
I need some distraction   
Oh a beautiful release   
Memories seep through my veins   
Let me be emptied   
Oh yeah weightless and maybe   
I'll find some peace tonight.."   
  
It really was a beautiful thing, Aki and Hein swirling in the center of a huge group of proud people. It made Hein feel high again. No stupid Major status. With Aki, he was General Hein again. Aki was the doctor, and he was the general.   
  
Two people you'd never expect to get together.   
  
"In the arms of the angel   
Fly away from here   
From this dark, cold hotel room   
And the endlessness that you fear   
You are burned from the wreckage   
Of your silent reverie   
You're in the arms of the angel   
May you find some comfort here..."   
  
Sid stood at the punch bowl, grinning widely. Councilwoman Hee stood next to him, the exact expression on her face as well.   
  
"They make a good couple," she commented. Dr. Sid let out a short laugh.   
  
"You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but did you know they actually hate each other?" he asked with a large grin.   
  
"Imagine that," Hee replied, covering her mouth with her hand.   
  
"So tired of the straight life   
That everywhere you turn   
There's vultures and thieves at your back   
Stone keeps on twisting   
Keep on building the lies   
That you make up for all that you lack   
It don't make no difference   
Escape one last time   
It's easier to believe   
In this sweet madness   
Oh this glory and sadness   
It brings me to my knees..."   
  
Twirl and twirl again, Aki was spun in circles with such gentleness she didn't get dizzy. To her, it was just herself and Hein in their own little world, dancing the night away. The music was perfect, the ambience was perfect, everything.... was perfect. Aki smiled softly and Hein generously returned the smile.   
  
"Having fun?" he asked, his eyebrow lifting to complete the question. She smiled wider.   
"I never knew you could dance so well," she replied.   
  
He drew her close; relinquishing in the moment. "There are a lot of things I can do, you know," he whispered seductively into her ear, making her blush.   
  
"What, besides being a cold-hearted jerk?" she shot back with a smirk.   
  
Hein smiled. "That's real funny."   
  
"In the arms of the angel   
Fly away from here   
From this cold dark hotel room   
And the endlessness that you fear   
You are burned from the wreckage   
Of your silent reverie   
You're in the arms of the angel   
May you find some comfort here..."   
"You're in the arms of the angel   
May you find some comfort here..."   
  
At the last sound of the music, Hein spun Aki out from his arms, bowed to her and kissed her hand as the rest of the observers applauded.   
  
"See, he's not such a sour-puss after all!" Dr. Sid called out, bringing up some scattered laughter. The music continued, and other couples began to file onto the dance floor to gather their own spotlight.   
  
Aki and Hein, however, didn't feel like dancing anymore, so they left the dance floor.   
"We don't need to hear it from them just yet," Hein explained, leading her by the hand onto the balcony where they could be alone to enjoy each other's company.   
---   
  
(Wow, thought it would never happen! ^_^*)   
  
~*Lyrics of the song: Angel by Sarah McLachlan.*~   
  
A/N: Wow Raine, good job! *Looks at the TV* Final Fantasy just came out and Hein is watching it. He's amused. Hehe. OH SHIT! HE'S GOT THE ICE CREAM! HEEEEEEEEIN!!! *Runs off after a giggling general, er, major* NO MORE ICE CREAM!


	21. Rude Awakening

"I really miss the Deep Eyes Squad..." Aki found herself saying. Hein frowned at this. "You weren't even on their team, how can you miss them?" 

"They grew on me, I guess. After that incident in New York, I kind of...well, I just miss them." Hein wrapped an arm around Aki's waist and pulled her closer to him. "Aki, if it was meant for them to die of the Phantoms...then so be it. I'm sure they're in a better place." Major Hein was being a softie. Had he gotten into some bad appetizers? 

"If Neil was still here, he'd probably have already spiked the punch, and be dancing around like crazy." 

"Either that or hitting on Jane," Hein joked. Aki swatted him on the arm with a gentle smile. "If he was drunk, he'd be hitting on Ryan," Aki joked. 

"Provided he was drunk enough," Hein replied. Aki giggled a little and snuggled into Hein's arms. He smelled good. Really, really good. 

From inside, Councilwoman Hee and Dr. Sid were still spying on them. Sid smiled when Aki snuggled against Hein. "I knew it'd work out perfectly." 

"So your theory was right, Doctor. Opposites really do attract?" Hee asked. Sid smiled gently and held out his hand to her. "Theory proven. Now, time to test another theory." 

Hee took his hand with curiosity alive in her eyes. "What theory is that?" 

"How well do doctors and councilwomen dance?" 

--- 

Aki squeezed Hein's hand as they walked down the corridor. "Now wasn't that fun," Aki commented lightly. 

Hein frowned. "What, the night's over so soon?" he complained, stopping her in front of the door to his room. 

"Well, I mean...the ball is over, so..." 

"Dr. Ross, you have no idea. This night is just getting started," Hein whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her. 

As luck would have it, Dr. Sid and Councilwoman Hee rounded the corner, and saw the two kissing. Sid grinned widely, and Hee burst into excited giggles. 

They quickly took off in the other direction, as not to disturb the two. 

Hein managed to open the door to his room and lead her inside with amazing accuracy. Aki started giggling, so Hein pulled away and raised his eyebrow at her as the door shut behind them.   
"What's so funny? I'm not that bad a kisser, am I?" he asked. 

Aki giggled some more, pushing her blond hair back from her face. "No, it's not that, it's just...you were able to open the door with such skill...like you've done it before."  
  
  
Hein smiled seductively. "Maybe I have," he whispered suggestively. 

Walking towards her and cupping her face in his hands, he brought her forward for another kiss.   
As their lips touched, a piercing beeping sound went off in the room. 

Hein growled deep in his throat. "Damnit!" he cursed.   
Aki frowned. "What is that noise?" 

"It's the scanner," Hein replied, sorting through crumpled clothes on his bed. "It's detected another spirit."  
  
  
-------   
AN: 

Hey all! Raine here. Sorry about the wait...both Sev and I are busy with school, as you may know. We're very happy to know you're wanting to kill us when we don't write more chapters soon, and...well, that's odd that we like that. 

Mystic, control Hannibal. ;)   
We'll try to get more chapters done soon. Thanks! 

------   



	22. Another One

Chapter 21

AN: (Raine here) Listen, I know it's been a long time, and I know ANs go at the bottom, but I have to get this out now. Between writing a REALLY long fic with someone else, and school and tests and stuff....I've barely had time to even think about this. I don't even KNOW what Sevy's up to. That's why I'm getting my act together now. Thanks for being so patient, guys. We love you. 

--------   
  
  


Aki paled. "Another spirit?" she questioned. Hein said nothing, but nodded. "Yeah, and it's nearby. We should try to get it before it runs off on us. It's really close, now that I enlarge the map..."   
Aki leaned against the wall, groaning with exhaustion. "Why now....why now, Hein? Can you tell me that?"   
He met her eyes for a breif moment and shook his head. "No, Aki, I can't tell you that. I don't know why now. But we have to go. Go to your room and get changed."   
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" she asked, referring to her long gown. Hein smirked. "Spirit hunting in a dress?"   
"Sure!" Silence.   
"Get changed, Aki."   
"Alright..." 

----- 

"How nearby is it?" Aki asked as soon as she'd pulled on her other boot and followed Hein down the hall towards the Hummer.   
"Close enough that we don't even have to leave the Barrier?" Hein replied, frowning. Aki glanced at the scanner. Sure enough, it showed the Barrier, and a glowing light, the spirit, moving slowly within the perimeter of the Barrier.   
"Think it's a person?" Aki inquired. Hein shrugged. "It has to be, I mean...there are barely any animals remaining, aside from that bird you keep talking about, and there aren't any phantoms...unless..."   
"No," Aki replied firmly. "It has to be a person. Let's find the person, and then we can go back and have fun with the time we have remaining."   
"It might not be so easy, Aki. This person is moving around, and there are a lot of people in the Barrier this evening."  
"Well, let's get going now!" she persisted.   
Hein smiled faintly as Aki tugged on his sleeve. "Aki, be patient!" he demanded, and she frowned stubbornly.   
"I was having such a good time..." she muttered.   
Hein nodded. "Yeah, and so was I. But duty calls, you know that better than I do, doctor. Now come, let's go."   
Aki groaned in protest as she was dragged along by Hein to an area that was more populated. 

----- 

The couple ended up returning to the ballroom, where Aki complained that she was tired, and Hein told her to keep her mouth shut if she had no suggestions. "I won't take you anywhere tonight if you don't help me out. It'll go a hell of a lot quicker if you just help me. Get out your scanner and start looking, Ross. If we hurry, then we'll still have a good portion of the night left."   
Aki frowned at him, narrowing her eyes in defiance as she took off in the other direction, pulling out her scanner.   
"Give me a beep if you find it," Hein called to her and she gave a slight nod, waving him away with her hand as she turned her back to him.   
Hein smiled. "Again with the PMS...must it always be me who has to deal with it?" he muttered. "I don't think it would be fair if you believed that, Major."  
"Dr. Sid?" Hein asked, raising his eyes from his scanner to meet the eyes of the shorter man who stood next to him with a patient smile.   
"Aki is trying very hard to find these spirits, but her attraction to you mixing with her recent loss of Gray is also mixing with the fact that she hasn't gone to a party or had any real fun in quite some time. Cut her some slack, Major."  
Major Hein furrowed his eyebrows at the older man and snuffed. "What say do you have in this, Sid?"   
"I don't have any say-"   
"Exactly," Hein interrupted.   
"I'm just making a suggestion," Sid finished. 

------ 

Aki walked along the brightly lit hallways, watching her scanner as it bleeped every so often, reminding her of the life form.   
_Bleep! _"I know," Aki said to the mechanical wrist device.   
Minutes later, _bleep! _"I know!" she replied again, frowning. "All I wanted was a little fun..." she whined. Was that too much to ask?   
As luck would have it, the bleeps began to quicken, meaning the spirit was nearby.   
"Come on, come on little spirit...where are you?" Aki whispered, watching the people around her and the scanner, which had indeed focused on one of the people in the hallway. Following the direction her scanner pointed, Dr Aki Ross found herself staring at the spirit holder. 

Councilwoman Hee.   
  



End file.
